"Since memory is frail,
sayings and deeds have to be reinforced by the evidence of writing, so that
neither length of time nor the cunning of posterity can obscure the knowledge of
past events" (from a twelfth century
notification by William de Braose of a grant of lands to Sele Priory - British
Records Association)

The site is divided into sections
that are listed in the Table of Contents.

The Genealogy Pages "Family History" are
quite extensive. To facilitate the additional information I have created a Family History Index that should assist in the navigation of
that section. I have also included in the index, a general section that contains articles that are
associated with the history of my family. Nearly all the people who appear in
the Family History pages are no longer living and so this section of the site is
in effect a Memorial as well as a Resource. I hope that you'll find the Family
History Pages interesting and informative. I will of course be delighted to hear
from anyone who can provide me with further insights and information with regard
to my ancestors.

November 16 is my date of birth and so that section
of the site deals naturally enough with the births, deaths and
events that have occurred on that date. I have also provided an account of a murder
that occurred on that day in Leeds that ended in a judicial execution.
School Days - incidentally they were not "the
happiest days of my life" gives a personal view of what it was like to
attend a provincial Grammar School in the 1960's as well as providing a counterbalance to
many of the wild and inaccurate claims surrounding post war education in the U.K.

Britain and the
World since 1953 is
intended to put a perspective on the events that have occurred in
my lifetime. It is in effect a chronology and almanac with
links to other websites and areas of information. The content is
continually being extended and it is hoped that it will become a
useful reference tool when completed.There is also a page compares
the Britain of 1953 with the Britain of 2003

The Location Map is a directional guide for those visiting the
area where I live. This section has also been extended to include a history of the road I live on
(Spring Hill) and the area of the city (Crookes-Walkley district ) I live in.
I have posted to that section, details extracted from the various UK Census' for
Spring Hill as well as excerpts from a number of Kelly's Directories - a
full index of photographs and articles has been also been posted to the section.

I have also added my acknowledgements to people who have spared me their
time and effort in providing me with content and information. It is greatly
appreciated. Two such resources that are particularly useful are the
Sheffield History Forum
and the newer Sheffield
Soldiers of the Great War. I would encourage readers of this site to
visit both websites as they both contain a mine of information.

There is also
a copyright notice which I hope will ensure that the information
on this site is not sullied by crass commercialism. Any errors are of course mine and mine alone.

"To remain ignorant of what
happened before you were born is to remain always a child" - Cicero

In November 2010 I decided that I
would create a "BLOG" to compliment and enhance this website. The site was over twelve
years old at the time, and I wanted to expand the content of the site to include information
that I have come across but was not detailed enough to warrant an article. It
would also allow me to comment on more contemporary matters that effect the area
I live in, and also keep people updated on the articles posted. With a nod to Crookes in particular, and Sheffield in general,
my BLOG is called

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our
enemies, but the silence of our friends". Martin Luther King Jnr

Nearly 18 months after setting up
the blog
"View From A Hill", I took the plunge and in collaboration with
Matthew Bell I had my first
printed book published by ACM RETRO.

Copies of the book can be ordered by
following the link to the publishers website ACM RETRO.
The publisher states

"Thirteen years in the making,
Sheffield's Shocking Past is the literary debut by Chris Hobbs. Ably assisted by
fellow author Matthew Bell, this book contains some of the most bizarre, little
known and tragic incidents of Victorian times.
Multiple murders; child murderers; a burning boy running half a mile before his
agonising death; strange deaths; untimely deaths; deaths by starvation; hideous
accidents; a romantic double suicide and a factory explosion killing all in its
wake".

If you want further information
about the book and its contents please follow the link to the pages

On November 16th 2012 the second
book was published by the same publisher ACM RETRO.
(In May 2013 ACM RETRO
was incorporated into Neil Anderson Media Ltd). This
book covers the twentieth century up to 1960.

"History has a nasty habit of
repeating itself. It was February 1934 and men were screaming for help as the
Leppings Lane section of the bulging 72,860 Hillsborough crowd swayed forward
and crushed them against iron railings. George Frederick Hill died from multiple
fractures and shock. Tragedy had also struck twenty years earlier when a
retaining wall collapsed at the same ground. The match was suspended as scores
of injured were rushed to Sheffield Infirmary. Life-long Sheffielder and
historian Chris Hobbs and local author Matthew Bell have once again delved into
the archives - this time bringing you some of the most gruesome, grizzly and
long-forgotten tragic episodes of 20th century Sheffield. Sheffield's Shocking
Past - Part II leaves no coroner's report unchecked as it uncovers the killer
cat of Millhouses; death by chimneystack; one of the city's earliest fatal motor
accidents and the story behind the charred remains of a male midget and his
mechanical teddy bear female companion. The events surrounding some incidents
are hard to contemplate until you read the full facts: there's death by scalding
at Heeley Baths; a Treeton man drowned looking for his chickens; a Low Edges
resident who accidentally killed his wife, and the horrific aftermath of an
American Air Force jet crashing into Lodge Moor Hospital in 1955. One of the
most tragic cases must be that of 22-year-old nurse Ada Bradley. She thought she
was helping rehabilitate a former mental patient by inviting her into her home
to live. Instead, "She was found dead with her head battered and her throat cut
in the street near the asylum." Sheffield's Shocking Past - Part II takes you
from the time of the horse and carriage to the age of the jet plane, along the
way unearthing some of the saddest and most remarkable incidents in the history
of the city."

The third book was published on 21st
March 2014 but unlike the first two this is focused on the First World War

"The Great War had a devastating effect on Sheffield. Hundreds of the city’s young men were slaughtered on the first day of the disastrous Somme offensive. A shocking German Zeppelin raid dropped death from the skies above Sheffield in September 1916. Church Rolls of Honour and War Memorials still bear their names but their stories are largely forgotten, until now.

Long Shadows Over Sheffield -
Forgotten Voices of the Great War unearths some of the most jaw-dropping tales of the men who willingly gave up their civilian jobs to make the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country.
From the 67-year-old Sheffield resident who became one of the oldest men to die in the war, to the 15-year-old from Nether Edge whose fascination with the sea led to his death in battle.
The suffering didn’t end with the cessation of hostilities. Survivors – including three of the city’s holders of the Victoria Cross – relived the unspeakable carnage for the rest of their lives, whilst the grief of wives and parents is laid bare in previously unpublished correspondence.

Graphic newspaper reports are mixed with rare photographs and a Sheffield soldier’s personal war diary to provide a memorable tapestry of hardship, heartbreak and horror that was the result of the
Great War which began a century ago."

One of the deepest impulses in man is the impulse to
record, to scratch a drawing on the tusk or keep a diary, to collect sagas and
heap cairns. This instinct as to the enduring value of the past is, one might
say, the very basis of civilization" - John Jay Chapman

"To the living we
owe our respect, to the dead we owe nothing but the
truth." Voltaire.

The articles on Sheffield are updated as and when relevant material becomes available. Most of
the articles are based on information I came across whilst researching in the local
archives and reading old newspapers. I have tried only to put content on the
site that is not easily available elsewhere and so that is why there are no
articles on The Sheffield Flood, Charlie Peace, The Hillsborough Disaster etc. I
am also conscious of the need not to compromise the privacy of the living and so
the articles are definitely historical in perspective. I try wherever possible to adhere to the
"forty year rule."

Some cities love their
antiquities, Sheffield has few to boast of, and therefore treats them with
scorn. Someday it will regret it - Sheffield Daily Independent (1906)

"We are ceasing to regard smoke
and filth as necessary evils and are striving after remedies. Perhaps our
children will once again see roses blooming in Attercliffe and trout on the rise
near Lady's Bridge". J.D. Leader (1891)

"Each
Generation imagines itself more intelligent than the one that
went before it and wiser than the one that comes after it" -
George Orwell

"Any life when
viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats" -
-- George Orwell, "Benefit of Clergy: Some Notes on Salvador
Dali

"A man is not old until regrets
take the place of dreams" John Barrymore

This website has been operative since 8th November 1999. After six years I decided to
upgrade the GUESTBOOK but unfortunately due to the activities of spammers I have
had to remove this
feature. And so if you have any comments,
suggestions and information relating to the Site and its contents, please contact me directly by
EMAIL and where
necessary, I will reply to any requests etc. you may have. The old GUESTBOOK has been relocated and is there
for reference purposes only

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